Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of € 95.5 billion. Based on three pillars, the programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.

It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic development, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimizes investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.

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The EIC Accelerator supports individual Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), in particular Start-ups and spinout companies to develop and scaleup game-changing innovations. In some cases, small mid-caps (up to 500 employees) are supported.

 

To know what the EIC Accelerator is more in depth, check this article.

 

From the official Horizon Europe website:

 

 

PILLAR I: EXCELLENCE SCIENCE

 

1. EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

 

Area of intervention: frontier science.

Policy and strategy: The European Research Council (ERC) was set up by the EU in 2007. It is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research.

ERC provides attractive and flexible funding to enable talented and creative individual researchers, with an emphasis on early-stage researchers, and their teams to pursue the most promising avenues at the frontier of science, on the basis of EU-wide competition based solely on the criterion of excellence.

ERC grantees have already made advances in new and emerging technological fields, including clean and digital technologies. Also, they have contributed with many other areas targeted by the key strategic orientations of the Horizon Europe strategic plan.

 

2. MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS

 

Areas of intervention: supporting researchers in their training, skills and career development, fostering trans-national, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, funding excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmers, collaborative projects and promoting public outreach.

Policy and strategy: the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the EU flagship programme for doctoral and postdoctoral training. They equip researchers with new knowledge and skills through mobility across borders and exposure to different sectors and disciplines.

Moreover, they enhance researchers’ training and career development systems, as well as institutional and national recruitment processes. All in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the researchers’ recruitment.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fund the development of excellent doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes and collaborative research projects. They achieve a structuring impact on higher education institutions, research centers and other organisations way beyond academia by widely spreading excellence and setting standards for high-quality researcher education and training.

By doing so, they enhance the visibility and attractiveness of these organisations, not only across the European Research Area (ERA), but also worldwide.

 

3. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES

 

Areas of intervention: consolidating and developing the landscape of European research infrastructures and opening, integrating and interconnecting research infrastructures. Additionally, reinforcing European research infrastructure policy and international cooperation, consolidating and developing the innovation potential of European research infrastructures and activities for innovation and training.

Policy and strategy: research infrastructures are facilities that provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields.

These include:

  • major equipment or sets of instruments
  • knowledge-related facilities, such as collections
  • archives of scientific data infrastructures
  • computing systems
  • communication networks

Horizon Europe will endow Europe with world-class sustainable research infrastructures which are open and accessible to the best researchers from Europe and beyond.

Moreover, it will encourage the use of existing research infrastructures, including those financed from funds under EU’s Cohesion Policy.

In doing so, it will enhance the potential of the research infrastructures to support scientific advance and innovation. In addition to enable open and excellent science in accordance with the FAIR principles. All alongside activities related to EU policies and international cooperation.

Lastly, research Infrastructures will also contribute to achieving the 4 key strategic orientations of the Horizon Europe strategic plan.

 

PILLAR II: GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND EUROPEAN COMPETITIVE CLUSTERS

 

1. HEALTH

Areas of intervention: health throughout the life course, environmental and social health determinants, non-communicable and rare diseases, infectious diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases, tools, technologies and digital solutions for health and care including personalised medicine and health care systems.

Policy and strategy: the aims of this cluster include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating, when relevant, a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases.

Further aims include developing health technologies, mitigating health risks, protecting populations and promoting good health and well-being in general and at workspaces.

Finally, this cluster also aims to make public health systems more cost-effective, equitable and sustainable. Moreover, to prevent and tackle poverty-related diseases, and support and enable patients’ participation and self-management.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

2. CULTURE, CREATIVITY AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

 

Areas of intervention: democracy, cultural heritage and social and economic transformations.

Policy and strategy: this cluster aims to strengthen European democratic values, including rule of law and fundamental rights. Hence, safeguarding our cultural heritage, and promoting socioeconomic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

3. CIVIL SECURITY FOR SOCIETY

 

EU civil security research is one of the building blocks of the Security Union.

Research in this cluster supports the following policies:

 

Areas of intervention: disaster-resilient societies, protection and security and cybersecurity.

Policy and strategy: this cluster responds to the challenges arising from persistent security threats, including cybercrime, as well as natural and man-made disasters.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

4. DIGITAL, INDUSTRY AND SPACE

 

Areas of intervention: manufacturing technologies, key digital technologies, including quantum technologies, emerging enabling technologies, advanced materials, artificial intelligence and robotics, next generation internet, advanced computing and Big Data, circular industries, low carbon and clean industries, space, including earth observation.

Policy and strategy: the overarching vision behind the proposed investments under Cluster 4 is that of Europe shaping competitive and trusted technologies for a European industry with global leadership in key areas. Thus, enabling production and consumption to respect the boundaries of our planet. Also, maximising the benefits for all parts of society in the variety of social, economic and territorial contexts in Europe.

This will build a competitive, digital, low-carbon and circular industry, ensure sustainable supply of raw materials, develop advanced materials and provide the basis for advances and innovation in global challenges to society.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

5. CLIMATE, ENERGY AND MOBILITY

 

Areas of intervention: climate science and solutions, energy supply, energy systems and grids, buildings and industrial facilities in energy transition, communities and cities, industrial competitiveness in transport, clean, safe and accessible transport and mobility, smart mobility, energy storage.

Policy and strategy: this cluster aims to fight climate change by better understanding its causes, evolution, risks, impacts and opportunities. Also, by making the energy and transport sectors more climate- and environment-friendly, efficient and competitive, smarter, safer and resilient.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

6. FOOD, BIOECONOMY, NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

 

Areas of intervention: environmental observation, biodiversity and natural resources, agriculture, forestry and rural areas, seas, oceans and inland waters. In addition to food systems, bio-based innovation systems in the EU’s bioeconomy and circular systems.

Policy and strategy: this cluster aims at reducing environmental degradation, halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity on land, inland waters and sea and better managing natural resources through transformative changes of the economy and society in both urban and rural areas.

It will ensure food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries. This will be through knowledge, innovation and digitalization in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems. Moreover, it will steer and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy, including forestry.

Research and innovation activities under cluster 6 will contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal related to the Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, the Farm to Fork strategy, the European Climate Pact and initiatives under sustainable industry and eliminating pollution. In addition to the long-term vision for rural areas, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Horizon Europe strategic plan covers the expected impacts of this cluster.

 

7. NON-NUCLEAR DIRECT ACTIONS OF THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE

 

Areas of intervention: strengthening the knowledge base for policy making; health; culture, creativity and inclusive society; digital, industry and space; climate, energy and mobility; food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment; innovation, economic development, and competitiveness; scientific excellence; territorial development and support for EU countries and regions.

Policy and strategy: The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy.

The aim of this area of Horizon Europe is to generate high-quality scientific evidence for good public policies.

New initiatives and proposals for EU legislation need transparent, comprehensive and balanced evidence, whereas implementation of policies needs evidence to measure and monitor progress.

The JRC will provide EU policies with independent scientific evidence and technical support throughout the policy cycle. The JRC focuses its research on EU policy priorities.

The work programme for this area will support a number of the orientations that the Horizon Europe strategic plan defines.

 

PILLAR III: INNOVATIVE EUROPE

 

1. EUROPEAN INNOVATION COUNCIL

 

Areas of intervention

  • Pathfinder funding: for advanced research, supporting early-stage development of future and emerging breakthrough, market-creating and/or deep tech technologies;
  • Transition funding: to help researchers and innovators develop the pathway to commercial development for promising research results;
  • Accelerator funding: to support individual SMEs, start-ups and small mid-caps to bridge the financing gap between late stages of research activities and market take-up, to effectively deploy breakthrough, market-creating innovation and scale-up companies where the market does not provide viable financing;
  • additional activities such as prizes and fellowships, and business added-value services.

Policy and strategy: the European Innovation Council (EIC) promotes breakthrough innovation with scale-up potential at the global level.

In particular, it focuses mainly on breakthrough, deep-tech and disruptive innovation, targeting especially market-creating innovation.

The EIC also supports strategic technology and innovation challenges which cover the priorities of the Horizon Europe strategic plan.

 

2. EUROPEAN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

 

Areas of intervention

  • It builds interconnected, inclusive innovation ecosystems across Europe. For so, it draws on the existing strengths of national, regional and local ecosystems and pulls in new, less well-represented actors and territories to set, undertake, and achieve collective ambitions towards challenges for the benefit of society, including the green, digital, and social transitions;
  • It reinforces network connectivity within and between innovation ecosystems to accelerate sustainable business growth with high societal value;
  • It supports the European Partnership for Innovative SMEs (Eurostars 3);
  • It complements the European Regional Development Fund support for innovation ecosystems and interregional partnerships around smart specialization topics.

 

Policy and strategy: European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) will act in complement and synergy with the European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and innovative activities across Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes to improve the overall ecosystem for innovation in Europe.

The EU aims to create more connected and efficient innovation ecosystems to support the scaling of companies, encourage innovation and stimulate cooperation among national, regional and local innovation actors.

It will contribute to all 4 key strategic orientations of the Horizon Europe strategic plan.

 

3. EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

 

Areas of intervention

  • strengthening sustainable innovation ecosystems across Europe
  • fostering the development of entrepreneurial and innovation skills in a lifelong learning perspective and support the entrepreneurial transformation of EU universities
  • bringing new solutions to global societal challenges to the market
  • creating synergies and added-value within Horizon Europe

Policy and strategy: EIT is an independent EU body. It increases Europe’s ability to innovate by nurturing entrepreneurial talent and supporting new ideas.

EIT will also contribute to achieving the 4 key strategic orientations in the Horizon Europe strategic plan.

 

Andriotto Financial Services

 

About Andriotto Financial Services (AFS):

 

  • Andriotto Financial Services’ team is an official advisor of the European Commission for Horizon Europe.
  • AFS has a Centre of Excellence in Switzerland with some of the most skilled EU grant specialists, writing successful proposals and supporting clients during different implementation phases of projects.
  • AFS evaluates and selects the best projects and enterprises around Europe to receive public funding.
  • Our client portfolio includes some of the most important public institutions in Italy and in Europe.
  • Participating in Horizon Europe is an ambitious challenge. AFS has one of the highest success rates amongst our European competitors.